Family Art and Nature at The Wild Center

January 16, 2014

TUPPER LAKE - From Jan. 19 until March 30, Sunday is Family Art and Nature day at The Wild Center. Bring the entire family every Sunday this winter to explore a new Adirondack nature theme, meet live animals and create a hand-crafted item to take home. Family Art and Nature begins at noon and runs until 2 p.m.

This event is free for members or with paid admission.

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Jan. 19

You won't see any snakes or turtles outside in winter, but you can see them inside at The Wild Center. Come explore the unique traits of reptiles. Meet a snake and play a game about turtles. Afterwards create a felted hand puppet for more winter reptile fun at home.

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Jan. 26

Discover more about how plants and animals rely on each other to survive in the Adirondacks with a day all about animal connections. Meet a live raptor to see how they rely on smaller animals for food and then take a scavenger hunt around the museum for other animal partnerships. Create a set of Nature Dominoes to take home for more nature play.

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Feb. 2

How can tiny birds survive the bitter Adirondack winters? Learn about some unique adaptations of winter birds in the Adirondacks. Get a close-up encounter with our resident blue jay. Use binoculars to go on an indoor bird hunt for common winter birds you can see in your backyard and create a nature-friendly bird feeder to take home.

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Feb. 9

Right now, the Monarch butterfly is spending its winter in the warm mountains of Mexico, but we get to see them in late summer during their migration. Join us for two special showings of Flight of the Butterflies at 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., a 22-minute film that follows one butterfly on its incredible journey. Learn more about the life cycle of a butterfly and color your own flip-book to watch a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis.

Feb. 16

Nature recycles everything. From water to carbon, nature is reusing things all the time. Meet a live animal that helps recycle nature's waste and spend some time studying that waste with fake animal scat. You can help nature by using a reusable bag when you go shopping, so create a personalized canvas bag to take home and forget those plastic grocery bags.

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Feb. 23

Bundle up for some outdoor fun! Explore the winter from the eyes of an Adirondack animal to see how snow actually helps them survive the cold. Learn more about some unseen winter homes and build your own quinzee in the Pines. Warm up inside with a trip to Otter Falls to see the otters play with snow and make a craft to take home that will help you measure snow throughout the season.

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March 2

The Adirondacks are home to unique animals. Get your hands on some furs and skulls of Adirondack mammals and meet Stickley the porcupine. Spend some time creating shadow puppets using stencils of the most popular mammals in the Adirondacks to take home and continue nature play.

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March 9

Some animals have incredible super powers. Learn all about natural defenses when you meet Night and Day, our resident skunks. They have ways to deal with predators and pests alike, and they even have their own super hero capes of black and white. Create your own super hero cape for more play at home.

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March 16

Celebrate the Spring Equinox and prepare for a new season. Meet toads and frogs that will be eager to come out of hiding to sing in the spring. Decorate a flower pot and take some native seeds to try growing spring flowers at home. Explore the flowers in the museum to figure out which ones will be coming up first so you can be on the look-out.

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March 23

Get excited about maple syrup with a syrup-tasting contest. Try your hand at tapping a practice tree and create a box for treasures decorated with water color maple leaves. Meet an Adirondack mammal that spends a lot of time climbing trees and eating trees, and who has a taste for maple in spring.

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March 30

Celebrate with Louie, Remy, Squeaker, and Squirt at The Wild Center's annual Otter Birthday party! Play games, make crafts, and have a slice of birthday cake with our four furry friends.

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There are hikes on free snowshoes, animal encounters, feature films and great food offerings. The Wild Center is open throughout the winter on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and during the entire week of President's Day.

For additional information on The Wild Center, visit www.wildcenter.org or call 518-359-7800.